Common Courtesy

As I stare into the flickering light of my computer, the various jobs I'm NOT qualified for flashing by as fast as I can click the mouse, it occurs to me that there must be tens of thousands of people like me pounding the veritable pavement for a return to a regular income. I mean, these job boards, Monster, HotJobs and CareerBuilder being the most prevalent among them, are out there for a reason, right? As disturbing as that is however, and yes it's disturbing to know I'm competing with about a zillion other people, I'm troubled even more by those on the other side of that big, oak desk.

First, let me be clear: It's not like I don't think a human resources department doesn't have value; it does. Current employees depend on HR for pay and benefit information, not to mention the enforcement of policy such as sexual harassment and other things detrimental to the safety and well-being of those already employed. There is no question this industry has a purpose and a point, and I have a great amount of respect to those who can do it with that rare ability to combine both class and style in a manner that is both respectful and courteous. Not everyone does that however, and that is the point I'm trying to make here.

Given the fact that it is truly an employer's market, one would assume that employers would do their best to understand that they have the upper hand and treat prospective employees with the respect they deserve as members of the human race. These days though, the state of hiring is such that companies really don't take the time to care, tossing any respect for those applicants looking to get out of the unemployment line out the veritable window by not bothering to maintain regular communication. Do we as prospective employees deserve to be left hanging out like yesterday's laundry? I don't think so. If I'm not getting an interview or getting the offer, I think that I at least deserve the courtesy of a phone call or email stating such. Unfortunately the standard anymore is to just leave us out there, our lives hanging on the tiny thread of word one way or the other, and personally, I think that practice is atrocious.

If you've ever been to a company's website and clicked the "careers," or "jobs" section, you may notice that some have online forms for their application process (others have ten or twelve page applications that can take up to several hours to complete, but that's beside the point. Maybe this practice is a way of weeding out those unwilling or unable to carve out that kind of time, I'm not sure). Having these forms makes it easy for both the employer and the applicant since usually you can cut and paste your resume and send it on its way in mere moments. What you may need a magnifying glass to see on these forms however is a fun little tagline hidden somewhere near the bottom that states "due to the large volume of resumes we receive, we are precluded from answering each one individually." That may seem logical to some since I'm sure these companies DO receive a large number of resumes on a regular basis given our current state of employment, but quite personally, I think they SHOULD answer each one, and I think it should be a personal note rather than a form letter to your inbox.

Sure, employers are receiving tons of resumes. Here in Michigan, the unemployment rate is higher than anywhere in the country, and it is quite likely that there are a lot of people out there looking. I recently submitted to a posting that ultimately drew in five hundred resumes. Five hundred! For one position! If that isn't an employer's market, nothing is. The point I'm making though is that for each applicant, I would expect the hiring authority to personally take the time to contact each one and keep them abreast of the status of their resume, good, bad or indifferent. To do so indicates a sensitivity on the part of the company to ensure each applicant is treated with respect, even if there are no plans to hire him or her. If nothing else, job seekers are entitled to that much.

Oh I know, you HR types out there are likely saying, "Hey, we don't have that kind of time. We're busy too." I agree you are busy, heck, we're all busy. But I truly believe that if the time was taken to thank each job seeker for his or her time and that should another position open up, you as the company representative would be happy to look up the resume and compare it to the available position, you may actually make the job seeker feel good about himself, and let's face it, when seeking a job, we could use all the encouragement we can get.

I don't know if the day will ever come when the market will shift to the employee and companies will practically beg for people to choose them. What I do know however is that bridge burning on either side of the oak desk is wrong and we all deserve respect, regardless which side of this desk we happen to be sitting on. Therefore, the next time you are in the position of either hiring or seeking work, take a moment to remember the person across from you. They are people, too.